Radio România Internațional

Tag: commissioner

September 26, 2019

TALKS The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis had a short meeting in New York on Wednesday with his Moldovan counterpart Igor Dodon, on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly. President Klaus Iohannis emphasised during the talks that in Romanias view, the Republic of Moldovas European accession efforts, firmly supported by Bucharest, are the only way to ensure the prosperity of the Moldovan citizens. In turn, Igor Dodon emphasised that he supports the strategic partnership between Romania and Moldova, and added that Moldovas European accession remains a priority. The Romanian President also had a meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The latter thanked Romania for supporting his countrys European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Ukrainian state. Volodymyr Zelensky and Klaus Iohannis also discussed cooperation opportunities in the economic and energy fields, as well as bilateral business relations.

CoD Romania is taking over the 2-year presidency of the Governing Council of the Community of Democracies, the Foreign Ministry announced. On this occasion, Foreign Minister Ramona Mănescu is taking part in New York today in an extraordinary meeting of this body. The Community of Democracies is a global inter-governmental structure aimed at promoting sustainable development, universal access to justice and efficient, responsible and inclusive institutions at all levels. Romania is one of the 106 UN member states that have signed the Warsaw Declaration, on whose principles the Community of Democracies has been founded.

HEARING The candidacy of the Romanian Social Democrat Rovana Plumb for the post of European Commissioner for Transport was rejected on Thursday by the European Parliaments judicial committee, political sources in Brussels announced. Only 6 MEPs voted in her favour, 15 voted against and 2 abstained from voting. Without the approval of the judicial committee, the hearing in the Transport Committee cannot be held. The European Parliaments judicial committee had invited Rovana Plumb and Lazslo Trocsanyi, the European Commissioner nominated by Hungary, to a special hearing. Plumb was asked to clarify controversial aspects in her declaration of assets, related to a loan taken out in order to fund an election campaign.

AMBASSADOR Lawyer Adrian Zuckermans nomination as US ambassador to Romania has been approved by the Foreign Relations Committee in the US Senate. According to the White House, Zuckerman immigrated to the US from Romania at the age of 10, and is fluent in Romanian. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1984, and was a partner in an international law firm. He was previously an arbitrator for the Real Estate Board of New York. He received his undergraduate degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his law degree from New York Law School.

UNEMPLOYMENT In Romania, the unemployment rate dropped to 3.8% in the second quarter of the year, with the highest rate (15%) reported among youth 15 to 24 years of age, the National Statistics Institute reports. The data also indicates that unemployed men outnumber the women, and that unemployment is higher in rural communities. During the same period, the employment rate in the 15-66 age bracket was slightly over 66%, up since the previous quarter. Moreover, the employment rate for citizens aged between 20 and 64 was 71.6%, higher than the 70% national target set in the Europa 2020 Strategy. Romanias active population was 9.1 million people, of whom 8.8 million were employed in the second quarter of this year.

HANDBALL Romanias womens handball team Wednesday night defeated Ukraine, at home, 27-24, in the first match in Group 7 of the 2020 European Championships qualifiers. On Sunday the Romanians will play against Faroe Islands away from home. Group 7 also includes Poland, and the 2 top-ranking teams will qualify in the final tournament. Romanias national team came in 4th in the previous European Championships, losing the bronze medal to the Netherlands. Meanwhile, Romanias champions Dinamo Bucharest won 35-28 against Danish vice-champions GOG Gudme, in Group D of the Champions League. Romania tops the group ranking, having outplayed the Swedish team IFK Kristianstad in Bucharest and drawn against the Swiss side Kadetten Schaffhausen, away from home. Dinamo will play next against Cehovskye Medvedy on October 12, in Russia.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

26 September 2019
The Week in Review (8-14 September 2019)

The Romanian political scene is in
turmoil following the departure of the Liberal Democrats from the government

The withdrawal of the Alliance of
Liberals and Democrats from the coalition government has set the political
scene in Bucharest on fire. The disagreements between the prime minister and
the president have deepened over the former’s move to replace the outgoing
Liberal Democrat ministers with other Liberal Democrat MPs who say they wish to
continue alongside the Social Democratic Party the project they begun together
in 2016, when they came to power following parliamentary elections.

President Klaus Iohannis has
rejected prime minister Viorica Dancila’s proposed reshuffle saying it is
unconstitutional and again urging her to put her cabinet to a vote of
confidence in Parliament, given that, he argues, the political make-up of the
government has changed. In response, the prime minister says she is not afraid
to seek a vote of confidence in Parliament and has accused the president of
undermining efforts to ensure a normal functioning of the government. The
Liberal Democrats’ leader Calin Popescu Tariceanu has himself accused Viorica
Dancila of not complying with the constitutional provisions and not respecting
the decision of the Liberal Democrats to withdraw from the government, trying
all kinds of tactics to avoid a vote of confidence in Parliament.

Ggovernment approves the extension
of the registration deadline for Romanian citizens living abroad who wish to
vote in the upcoming elections

The deadline for the Romanian
citizens living abroad who wish to register to vote on the website
votstrainatate.ro has been extended until the 15th of September,
following an emergency order issued by the government on Thursday at the
request of the Permanent Election Authority. The initial deadline was the 11th
of September. The Romanian Postal Service will provide voters with all the
necessary materials, namely envelopes, ballots, stamps, stickers and advice on
how the voting process takes place. Voters living or residing abroad have three
options to send the envelopes containing their ballots, namely: sending them by
post to Romania, sending them by courier to the Romanian diplomatic missions or
consular offices in their countries of residence or taking them in person to
the Romanian embassies or consulates. More than 71,000 Romanian voters had
registered on line by the initial deadline.

The Romanian minister liaising with
the Romanians living abroad pays visit to Italy

The Romanian minister liaising with
the Romanians abroad Natalia Intotero is in Italy to meet members of the
Romanian communities in this country. Discussions focus on the way in which
they can exercise their voting rights in the upcoming presidential elections.
Other topics on her agenda include the coagulation of the associative
environment and identifying the necessary lines of action to preserve and
develop the linguistic, spiritual and cultural identity of the Romanians living
abroad, and monitoring the projects funded by the ministry. Meetings are held
with members of the Romanian communities and the associative environment in
Turin, Milan, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Cagliari, Catania, Cosenza, Bari,
Naples and Rome. Talks also tackle human trafficking and the problems faced by
Romanians in various sectors in Italy. Official data show that Italy is home to
the largest Romanian community abroad, numbering around 1,200,000 people.

Romania nominates Rovana Plumb as EU
commissioner

Romania’s proposal for European
commissioner, the Social Democrat Rovana Plumb will be in charge of transports.
The announcement was made by the president elect of the European Commission,
Ursula von der Leyen, who has nominated her entire team. After the hearings in
the European Parliament’s specialist committees and as soon as Parliament gives
its approval, the European Council will officially appoint the new Commission. Rovana
Plumb has been a politician for 25 years and has always been a member of the
Social Democratic Party, today in government in Romania. She has also served as
an MP and has occupied several ministerial positions, including minister for
the environment, labour and European funds.

The George Enescu Festival is in
full swing in Bucharest and other cities

The 24th edition of the
George Enescu International Festival is under way until the 22nd of
September. Its motto this year is The World in Harmony and its artistic
director is Vladimir Jurowski. Bucharest and ten other cities in Romania as
well as five countries, namely Germany, France, Italy, Canada and the Republic
of Moldova are hosting this year associated events, paying tribute to the
musical heritage of the great Romanian composer George Enescu. The festival
brings together more than 2,500 of the world’s greatest musicians and 84
different concerts and recitals grouped in six main sections: great orchestras
of the world, the midnight concerts, chamber concerts and recitals, the music
of the 21st century, the Mozart Week in Residence and the
International Forum of Composers. Conferences and disc and book launches are
also held.

14 September 2019
July 26, 2019 UPDATE

EUROPEAN COMMISSION Romania targets a European commissioner post in the field of transports, energy or environment, PM Viorica Dăncilă said on Friday. Bucharest will make 2 nominations, a man and a woman, in line with the equal opportunity principle promoted by the EU. The Prime Minister added that she had discussed the matter with President Klaus Iohannis as well. On July 16, the European Parliament elected the former German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen as president of the Commission, replacing Jean-Claude Juncker. The 28 Member States must next nominate their candidates for the commissioner posts. The hearings will be held by the specialised committees in Parliament between September 30 and October 8. Parliament will then take a vote on the commissioners, most likely between October 21 and 24.

SANCTIONS The Romanian Foreign Ministry Friday responded to recent accusations from neighbouring Serbia, which claimed that Bucharest seized a shipment of military vehicles coming from Russia on the Danube. According to the Romanian authorities, Bucharest only implemented the sanctions ordered by the European Union against Russia. Moreover, under the Romanian law, transit permits for the transport of military products can only be issued to a Romanian carrier. This is in keeping with the decision of the Council of the EU on restrictions against Russia following its destabilising intervention in Ukraine, the Romanian diplomacy also says.

BORDER The number of Romanian and foreign citizens registered at the Vama Veche checkpoint in the south-east of Romania has hit an all-time record, with over 730,000 people crossing the border there in the first half of the year, the Coast Guard reports. Compared to the first half of 2018, the number of people transiting the Vama Veche checkpoint is almost 40% higher. Border police officers say there is an increase at present in the number of foreign and Romanian tourists crossing the Romanian-Bulgarian border, and in order to reduce waiting time the Coast Guard has increased the personnel and is making full use of the infrastructure. In Constanta County there are 5 road border crossing points to Bulgaria, with a total of 9 inbound and 10 outbound lanes.

MEDAL President Klaus Iohannis Friday signed a decree awarding the National Order of the Star of Romania to tennis player Simona Halep. According to the Presidency, the head of state awarded this medal in “recognition and appreciation for winning the Wimbledon tennis tournament, for the exceptional athletic performances achieved throughout her career, for her position among the best players in the world and also for the talent, devotion, professionalism and dedication in the service of affirming Romanian sports at world level and of making tennis popular among Romanian youth. The award ceremony will take place on Tuesday. No 4 WTA, Simona Halep (27) was the leader of womens world tennis standings twice, between 2017 and 2019. She held this position for 64 weeks, being the 10th longest holder of the world tennis circuit leadership in history.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

26 July 2019
November 20, 2018 UPDATE

RESHUFFLING The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday signed the government reshuffling order based on the nominations made by the Social Democratic Party in power. Later on Tuesday the new ministers of Education, Defense, Economy, Culture and National Identity, Communication and Information Society and Youth and Sports were sworn in before President Iohannis. But the ministers’ list does not include the proposals for the Ministry for Regional Development and Public Administration and the Transport Ministry, Ilan Laufer and Lia Olguta Vasilescu, respectively. Eight ministries in Viorica Dancila’s Cabinet, including the Defence and Labour, should have been headed by new chiefs. President Iohannis says the current reshuffling is an incomplete solution, and the correct option for Romania would have been to replace the Cabinet as a whole, because the current team has created lots of problems for the country. In turn, the PM explained that the reshuffling was designed to improve the performance of the Government, ahead of Romania’s rotating presidency of the EU Council starting on January 1, 2019. The right-of-centre opposition argues however that the sole criterion in selecting the new ministers was their obedience to the Social Democratic Party president, Liviu Dragnea.

JUSTICE The European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Věra Jourova had meetings in Bucharest on Tuesday with the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, and the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader. Talks focused on the priorities in the field of justice, in the context of Romania’s presidency of the EU Council and of the recent developments in the Romanian judiciary. It is important for Romania to take the necessary steps in order to ensure the independence of the judiciary, Vera Jourova said after the meeting with Romania’s Justice Minister. Later on Tuesday the European official gave an address in Bucharest on the Universal Children’s Day, focusing on the situation of children abandoned as a result of regional conflicts or of labour migration, as part of an event organised by the Presidential Administration. 29 years since the signing of the UN Convention on the rights of the child, there are still millions of children around the world who do not go to school, are not protected and cannot live in their home country or town.

VISIT President Klaus Iohannis received in Bucharest on Tuesday the president of the European Court of Auditors, Klaus-Heiner Lehne, who was on an official visit ahead of Romania taking over the rotating presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019. President Iohannis emphasized the importance of the control mechanisms, especially when they contribute to the improvement of public practices with positive effects on economy and the society. In turn, the European official said that cutting red tape and increasing EU funds absorption were essential at the level of both the EU and national parliaments. On Monday, Klaus-Heiner Lehne met with PM Viorica Dăncilă. The talks focused on strengthening the EU mechanisms for the efficient management and spending of European funds. The PM reiterated Bucharest’s willingness to cooperate with the European Court of Auditors in order to improve the absorption rate and for an efficient management of the European funds, particularly in fields of interest for Romania. Also, in the context of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council, Viorica Dăncilă said that at present Romania is fully prepared to take over this mission.

STRIKE The Bucharest underground trade unions decided on Tuesday to postpone the planned all-out strike until after a meeting with the new Transport Minister, nominated after the government reshuffling. Staff were scheduled to go on indefinite strike on Wednesday, although the Bucharest Court ruled the protest was illegal. The unionists demand a 42% pay raise, although the net average income paid by the state-owned Metrorex company is substantially higher than the national level. The Ministry argues that in fact the trade unions are disgruntled that they would no longer manage the shopping areas in the stations. Some 700,000 passengers a day use the Bucharest underground system.

RADIRO The MDR, Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, performed on Tuesday evening for the second time as part of the International Festival of Radio Orchestras – RadiRo, organised by Radio Romania. The soloist was the pianist Mihai Ritivoiu. On Monday evening, the German orchestra conducted by Robert Trevino gave a highly appreciated performance. This year’s edition, the 4th of the festival, features 3 ensembles that perform for the first time at the Radio Hall: BBC Philharmonic (UK), Orchestra de la Svizzera Italiana – Lugano (Switzerland) and RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra (Ireland). Also this year, the only festival in the world devoted to radio orchestras will include jazz recitals, for the first time. All the concerts as part of RadiRo are broadcast live by Radio Romania channels, recorded and broadcast subsequently by the Romanian public television, and also aired by stations affiliated to the European Broadcasting Union.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

20 November 2018
November 20, 2018

RESHUFFLING The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis has today announced having signed the government reshuffling order based on the nominations made by the Social Democratic Party in power. The President presented the list of ministers for whom he signed the appointment orders. But the list does not include the proposals for the Ministry for Regional Development and Public Administration and the Transport Ministry, Ilan Laufer and Lia Olguta Vasilescu, respectively. Eight ministries in Viorica Dancilas Cabinet, including the Defence and Labour, should have been headed by new chiefs. President Iohannis says the current reshuffling is an incomplete solution, and the correct option for Romania would have been to replace the Cabinet as a whole, because the current team has created lots of problems for the country. In turn, the PM explained that the reshuffling was designed to improve the performance of the Government, ahead of Romanias rotating presidency of the EU Council starting on January 1, 2019. The right-of-centre opposition argues however that the sole criterion in selecting the new ministers was their obedience to the Social Democratic Party president, Liviu Dragnea.

JUSTICE The European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Věra Jourova has meetings in Bucharest today with the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, and the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader. Talks will focus on the priorities in the field of justice, in the context of Romanias presidency of the EU Council and of the recent developments in the Romanian judiciary. The European official will give an address in Bucharest on the Universal Childrens Day, focusing on the situation of children abandoned as a result of regional conflicts or of labour migration, as part of an event organised by the Presidential Administration. 29 years since the signing of the UN Convention on the rights of the child, there are still millions of children around the world who do not go to school, are not protected and cannot live in their home country or town.

VISIT President Klaus Iohannis receives in Bucharest today the president of the European Court of Auditors, Klaus-Heiner Lehne, who is on an official visit ahead of Romania taking over the rotating presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019. On Monday, Klaus-Heiner Lehne met with PM Viorica Dăncilă. The talks focused on strengthening the EU mechanisms for the efficient management and spending of European funds. The PM reiterated Bucharests willingness to cooperate with the European Court of Auditors in order to improve the absorption rate and for an efficient management of the European funds, particularly in fields of interest for Romania. Also, in the context of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council, Viorica Dăncilă said that at present Romania is fully prepared to take over this mission.

STRIKE The Bucharest underground trade unions decided today to postpone the planned all-out strike until after a meeting with the new Transport Minister, nominated after the government reshuffling. Staff were scheduled to go on indefinite strike on Wednesday, although the Bucharest Court ruled the protest was illegal. The unionists demand a 42% pay raise, although the net average income paid by the state-owned Metrorex company is substantially higher than the national level. The Ministry argues that in fact the trade unions are disgruntled that they would no longer manage the shopping areas in the stations. Some 700,000 passengers a day use the Bucharest underground system.

RADIRO The MDR, Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, will perform tonight for the second time as part of the International Festival of Radio Orchestras – RadiRo, organised by Radio Romania. The soloist is the pianist Mihai Ritivoiu. Last night, the German orchestra conducted by Robert Trevino gave a highly appreciated performance. This years edition, the 4th of the festival, features 3 ensembles that perform for the first time at the Radio Hall: BBC Philharmonic (UK), Orchestra de la Svizzera Italiana – Lugano (Switzerland) and RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra (Ireland). Also this year, the only festival in the world devoted to radio orchestras will include jazz recitals, for the first time. All the concerts as part of RadiRo are broadcast live by Radio Romania channels, recorded and broadcast subsequently by the Romanian public television, and also aired by stations affiliated to the European Broadcasting Union.

FOOTBALL Romanias football team is playing today a decisive game against Montenegro, in Podgorica, in Group 4 of the UEFA Nations League C Series. On Saturday, Romania beat Lithuania, 3-0, on home turf in Ploieşti. The League results count as qualifiers for the EURO 2020. Romania ranks 2nd in Group 4, Series C of the Nations League and needs to defeat Montenegro tonight. In the other important match of the day, group leaders Serbia are taking on Lithuania. Should Lithuania avoid a defeat in Belgrade and if Montenegro loses tonights match, Romania will move to the top position in the group.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

20 November 2018
October 22, 2018

STRASBOURG President of Romania Klaus Iohannis will take part on Tuesday in Strasbourg in a debate organised by the European Parliament with respect to the future of the European Union. The head of state will present Romanias views on the topic. It is for the first time that the President of Romania will address the European Parliament, and his participation in the event takes place in the context of a series of debates on the future of the European bloc, in which the leaders of the EU member states are invited to take part. In the plenary session that begins on Tuesday, the MEPs will also discuss the 2019 budget of the Union, ways to reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, and the taxes to be charged for the use of certain infrastructure segments by heavy duty vehicles.

SECURITY The European Commissioner for Security Union Julian King is on an official visit to Bucharest today. He will discuss with the Interior Minister Carmen Dan topics related to the security of EU citizens, including ways to identify efficient European legislation to fight online radicalisation. Julian King will also have meetings with the head of the Romanian Intelligence Service Eduard Hellvig, with the presidential adviser for national security and with Justice Ministry officials.

LAW The Parliament of Romania is re-examining the Offshore Bill, after the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats reached an agreement last week. In early August, President Klaus Johannis did not sign the bill into law and sent it back to Parliament for a review. What is at stake is, first and foremost, the profit that Romania will make from natural gas extraction in the Black Sea. The Energy Minister, Anton Anton, is expected to attend in the Chamber of Deputies today a debate on the Offshore Bill and the solutions for capitalising on the natural gas in the Black Sea. The Deputies in the specialised committees are to decide on the final text of the bill to be subject to the vote in a plenary sitting.

PROTESTS Several hundreds of people Sunday night took part in a new anti-government protest. The participants voiced their discontent with a recent ruling of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, which bans unplanned protests, and with an emergency order issued by the Government concerning changes of regulations in the judiciary. In Cluj Napoca, in the north-west, around 100 people also gathered further to an appeal on social media, to protest the Governments policies in the judiciary.

TREATY The US national security adviser John Bolton has arrived in Moscow today, where he will be received by the Russian President Vladimir Putin. The latter will request clarifications regarding the USAs plan to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF). The US President Donald Trump announced a few days ago that Washington would withdraw from the INF. The US unilateral withdrawal from the treaty signed with Russia during the Cold War is a mistake, China warned on Monday. The spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Hua Chunyiong said Beijing is against this plan. The INF treaty was signed in 1987 by the US President Ronald Reagan and the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The document bans the use of missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,000 km, ending the crisis started in the 1980s by the Soviet deployment of SS-20 nuclear missiles targeting all western capitals. Analysts say the withdrawal could have major implications with respect to the American defence policy in Asia, giving the Pentagon new conventional options to reinstate military balance in the region, where China has invested massively in conventional missiles.

INVICTUS Romanian troops won the first medal in the 2018 Invictus Palarympics in Sydney, Australia, in the indoor rowing event. In the 4-minute endurance event Dumitru Paraschiva won the 3rd place, and his colleague Ciprian Iriciuc, the 4th place out of 21 competitors. At the Paralympic Games held in October 20-27, Romania is represented by 15 soldiers wounded in theatres of war. Romanian athletes, who take part in the competition for the second time, compete in the archery, cycling, Paralympic athletics, rowing, swimming, and volleyball events.

HANDBALL The Romanian womens handball team SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea Sunday qualified into the 3rd round of the EHF Cup, after being defeated by the Turkish side Kastamonu Belediyesi, 21-20, in the return leg of the 2nd round. Another Romanian team, Măgura Cisnădie, has also qualified into this stage of the EHF Cup, after winning the 2 legs of the 2nd round against the Czech team Slavia Prague (28-25 and 29-20). SCM Craiova also enters the competition in the 3rd round, after having lost the qualifiers into the Champions League and continues into the EHF Cup. Meanwhile, HC Zalău was defeated away from home by the German team Borussia Dortmund, 24-20, and failed to qualify into the 3rd round of the EHF Cup.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

22 October 2018
January 28, 2018

GOVERNMENT – Romanian MPs in power and in opposition are holding meetings today with their respective party leaders, ahead of Mondays vote in Parliament on the appointment of a new Cabinet headed by Viorica Dăncilă and on the updated governing programme. Prior to the vote, the new ministers designate will be heard in parliamentary committees. This is the 3rd Cabinet nominated by the left-wing ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania over the past year. The new team, headed by the MEP Viorica Dăncilă, will include 27 ministers and 4 deputy PMs, one more than the team of the outgoing PM Mihai Tudose. The Liberals argue that the proposed Cabinet includes ministers with modest performances in the previous terms. Also in opposition, Save Romania Union and the Peoples Movement Party claim there is not enough time for properly hearing the ministers and for thorough debates in the specialised parliamentary committees.

EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER – The European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu, will be on an official visit to Romania on Monday and Tuesday. She is scheduled to have a meeting with the PM designate Viorica Dăncilă, to discuss European funding. Corina Creţu will take part in a conference, jointly with the Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu, and will receive a diploma from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest. The European official will also be the host of the award ceremony of 2017 European Reporter and Blogger competition.

DATA PROTECTION – The European Data Protection Day is celebrated on January 28. In May this year a new European regulation will take effect in this field, replacing national laws and introducing elements designed to consolidate the rights of individuals. The regulation lays emphasis on the obligations of data operators. Companies will be bound to nominate an officer in charge of data protection, otherwise they risk fines of up to 10 million euros in the private sector. In the public sector, penalties will be set by national regulations. For misdeeds like data security breaches, fines may reach 20 million euros for the private sector. The new rule was adopted by the European Parliament and Council in April 2016.

TERRORISM – The Romanian Foreign Ministry has strongly criticised the terrorist attack that killed more than 100 people and wounded another 200 in Afganistans capital city Kabul on Saturday. Bucharest expressed solidarity with the Afghan people and authorities, and reiterated Romanias firm commitment to the fight against international terrorism. The attack, claimed by the Taliban, is one of the most violent Kabul has seen in recent years.

HANDBALL – Romanias mens handball team will take on Macedonia in the playoffs for the 2018 World Championship, as decided in a drawing in Zagreb. The final tournament will be hosted by Germany and Denmark between January 10 and 27. The mens team last took part in a World Championship final tournament in 2011. In other news, 3 Romanian womens handball teams won matches in European competitions over the weekend. HC Zalău managed its 3rd running victory in the EHF Cup, at home on Saturday, 31-28, against the Czech team DHK Banik Most, in the competitions Group D. In Group A, SCM Craiova defeated the Russian side Kuban Krasnodar, 30-24, also on Saturday. On Friday, the champions CSM Bucharest outplayed 28-22 at home, the Hungarian team Gyor Audi ETO KC, in the first match in the Champions League main groups. CSM tops the standings with 8 points, followed by Gyor, 6 points. In 2016 CSM won the trophy, while Gyor are the defending European champions.

TENNIS – The Romanians Sorana Cîrstea and Irina Begu will take part in the WTA tournament in Sankt Petersburg, with 733,900 US dollars in total prize money. Simona Halep, who lost the Australian Open final on Saturday, has withdrawn from the competition. The Melbourne winner, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, the new World No. 1, will be the top seed in Sankt Petersburg. Sorana Cîrstea will play in the first round against Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia), and Irina Begu will face a player coming from the qualification round.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

28 January 2018
May 18, 2017

CYBERATTACK- The cyberattack against the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest, countered last Friday, was a surgical strike against specific employees, according to Anton Rog, the head of the national cyberintelligence center of the Romanian Intelligence Service. According to him, such attacks are usually the act of a state agency. Previously, the RIS had said that, most likely, the attempt originated with the cybercrime group APT28/ Fancy Bear, identified with previous events of this kind. Also according to Rog, the event was different from the WannaCry ransomware attack last week, which has touched Romania too.

COMMISSIONER — European Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, is on a visit to Romania, meeting the Prime Minister, Sorin Grindeanu. The visit comes after the EC passed new regulations on granting state aid, waiving the right of the EC to endorse state aid for ports and airports and certain cultural initiatives. The aim is to facilitate public investment, creating jobs and economic growth, without affecting competition. Commissioner Vestager said that Brussels wants to create an optimal context on the common market to encourage fair competition.

WARSAW — Romanian Speaker of the Senate Calin Popescu-Tariceanu is on a visit to Poland, attending the summit of heads of Parliament from Central and Eastern Europe. On the agenda are issues like regional security, development of infrastructure on the north-south axis, as well as the role of legislative assemblies in international politics. He will hold a speech on the importance of observing fundamental values for a modern identity, which Romania adopted when joining the EU in 2007, when he was Prime Minister.

TENNIS — Simona Halep, the Romanian tennis player now ranked 4th in the WTA, plays today against Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, ranked 17th, in the eighth finals of the Rome tournament, with 2.7 million USD at stake. This is their sixth face-off, with the Romanian winning every game. Halep has previously emerged victorious in Madrid. In the mens doubles, Florin Mergea, pairing up with Pakistani Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, plays against the Polish-Brazilian pair Lukasz Kubot- Felipe Melo.

WASHINGTON — The US Department of Justice appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller as special prosecutor in the investigation on alleged ties between the Trump election campaign and Russia, according to the Guardian. This comes eight days after President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. This new scandal comes shortly after the one involving the president allegedly conveying highly classified information to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

ATHENS — The Greek Parliament votes today on new austerity measures demanded by international lenders. Yesterday, a general strike was staged in Greece in transportation, public administration and health. Thousands took to the streets in Athens to protest proposed budget reforms. The country needs financing to pay its 7.5 billion Euro debt by July. The government promised it would slash pensions in 2019. PM Alexis Tsipras, who won the 2015 elections on promises he would end austerity, was forced a few months later to accept a new rescue plan negotiated with lenders in order to avoid insolvency.

18 May 2017
29 September, 2016

BREXIT – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis holds a government meeting to discuss the Brexit. On June 24, the head of state talked to head of government Dacian Ciolos on the topic, as well as with national bank governor Mugur Isarescu and heads of political parties in Parliament. President Iohannis, speaking at the meeting of the European Popular Party Group Bureau, said that Romania wishes to be a part of the EU’s core of integration, and fully involved, sharing a pro-European vision built around the fundamental principles of the European project. He underlined the fact that a strong EU and more involvement for Romania in EU affairs are national strategies for the country.

COMMISSIONER – European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu is today on a visit to Romania to talk to Bucharest authorities about EC priorities and European fund absorption. The commisisoner will also be discussing projects financed by Europe, and take part in meetings with government officials and conferences attended by members of Parliament and local administration officials. This year, the European commissioner has repeatedly pointed out the risks of low levels of absorption of Europen funds in the country. Moneys meted out by the EU run the risk of being wasted since no project has been submitted in this fiscal period, according to Corina Cretu. Romania has been allocated 22 billion Euro for the 2014-2020 fiscal period.

F-16 – The first batch of six F-16 fighter jets arrive in Romania today. After yesterday’s ceremony at the Monte Real airbasae in Portugal, Romanian pilots bring the aircraft to the airbase in Fetesti, southeastern Romania, after two years of training. The planes have undergone upgrades, in order to be able to operate on an equal footing with other multirole aircraft in NATO’s air wing. The F-16 group will be refreshed by three more aircraft to be delivered by the end of the year, and three more to arrive in 2017. Three years ago, Romania put in an order for the American made 12 war planes to Portugal for a transaction worth 628 million Euro.

FOOTBALL – Romanian football champions Astra Giurgiu are playing against AS Roma away from home in their second game in the Europa League groups. In their first game, in Bucharest, Astra was defeated 2-3 by Austria Vienna. Also today, Steaua Bucharest, the national vice-champions, play at home against Spanish team Villareal, after getting defeated in Turkey by Osmanlispor 0-2. Next, Steaua plays against FC Zurich. The two Romanian teams reached the Europa League groups after getting eliminated in the preliminaries of the Champions League.

RADIRO – The RadiRo 2016 symphonic music radio orchestra festival has reached its sixth day, after a show put on yesterday by the MDR Radio Symphony Orchestra of Leipzig, the oldest radio orchestra in Germany, conducted by Estonian Kristian Jarvi, honorary director of the festival this year. The soloist was Stefano Bollani, playing four interludes from the opera Intermezzo, by Richard Strauss, Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwhin, and a suite from Swan Lake, by Tchaikovsky. Tonight’s show features the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Cornelius Meister, with Gideon Kramer as a soloist. The festival runs until October 1st.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, WTA 5th seeded, today qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament in Wuhan, China, a competition with prizes totaling 2.6 million dollars. She defeated American player Madison Keys 6-4, 6-2. She next plays against Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova.

AUTOMOTIVE – The Dacia Duster EDC car model is Renault’s most eagerly expected introduction at the Paris Auto Salon, featuring the latest in drive technology, the double clutch. It will be presented at the Dacia stand alongside the Dacia Sandero and Dacia Sandero Stepway, the Dacia Logan and Dacia Logan MCV. The Dacia brand was acquired in 1999 by Renault, and makes up for about 30% of its sales. Dacia recently confirmed that part of the manufacturing of the Logan MCV model, so far made in Mioveni, in Romania, will shift to Tangiers, in Morocco. The decision was made in order to boost output for the Duster model in Mioveni, against high demand in Europe.

29 September 2016
Zero percent absorption of EU funds

Following Romanias EU integration in 2007, the absorption of EU funds has turned out to be more complicated than anyone had expected. Disinterest, red tape and embezzlement were some of the obstacles hindering the implementation of local and regional development projects. The Spanish or Portuguese models of using the funds made available by the EU remained a utopia.

In April, within only a few months of taking office, the Minister for European Funds Aura Raducu resigned at the request of the Prime Minister, who expressed dissatisfaction with her short-term objectives. Succeeding her was Cristian Ghinea, whose priority list included the proper completion of the operational programs for 2007-2013 and launching the call for projects for the 2014-2020 period.

On Tuesday, Bucharest was harshly criticized by EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, who expressed concern with the rate of implementing projects under the current budget framework. Although Bucharest has made continuous efforts, it has 0% absorption of EU funds for the 2014-2020 period, Commissioner Cretu has said. Regional policy has been earmarked a big chunk of the EUs overall budget, some 351 billion euros, being one of the leading investment tools of the European bloc. Furthermore, over the years, the EU has financed tens of thousands of projects with a notable impact at the level of both member states and the Union as a whole. Additionally, in the current budget execution period, over 100 billion euros are allotted to urban development, this being the first time European cities get to manage some 15 billion euros directly.

Romania has the third-largest allocation after Poland and Italy in terms of sustainable urban development. The Government has decided that 20% of EU funds should be managed directly by local officials from 39 county seats. In order to help Romanian cities make the most of the opportunity they are presented with, Commissioner Corina Cretu has announced that, jointly with DG REGIO, the Commissions Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy, the Commission will organise a special event aimed at promoting all these opportunities, to be held in early October in Bucharest. Attending will be the mayors of all the 39 county seats in Romania, and of other European capitals.

In another development, the Romanian Ministry for European Funds has launched a public debate on the new guidelines for accessing EU funds by communities in marginalized urban areas with a population of over 20,000.

3 August 2016